A full day after a car-ramming attack injured 11 people, most of them soldiers, at a bus stop in central Israel, police and security forces are continuing to search for the suspected attacker, sparking fear and heightened alert across nearby towns and communities.
The suspect, 27-year-old Arkan Khaled of Taybeh, is still at large. According to investigators, he drove into the group Thursday afternoon at a transit station at the entrance to the city of Kfar Yona, then fled on foot after abandoning his vehicle in a field near Beit Lid Junction. Despite extensive searches, including helicopter sweeps and multiple police patrols on the roads, authorities have yet to locate him.
Search for suspected terrorist ongoing
(Video: Raanan Ben-Zur)
“We’re still afraid, but we hope he’s no longer in our area,” said one local resident on Friday. Others in surrounding towns echoed that unease, saying that while security activity has been scaled back slightly, anxiety remains high. “We’re staying alert and watching our children closely,” another resident told Ynet. “We’re trying to move on, but until he’s caught, we can’t fully relax.”
Police distributed Khaled’s photo Thursday and urged the public to immediately report any sightings. Officials revealed that he borrowed the car used in the attack from a friend in Lod under the pretense of buying bread. That car owner, along with others linked to the vehicle, has been detained for questioning.
While roadblocks and searches caused traffic jams in the area on Thursday, by Friday, traffic had returned to normal as some security operations were scaled back. Nonetheless, increased police presence was visible, with patrol cars seen along Route 5613, which connects Highway 4 with nearby moshavim and the town of Tzoran.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
Local emergency response teams have conducted vehicle checks at the entrances to several communities. “We hope that if he hasn’t been caught yet, it means he’s already far away,” said one resident. “That gives us a bit of relief.”
Car-ramming suspect seen swerving before hitting a bus stop near Kfar Yona, central Israel, leaving 11 people injured
A police source warned, however, that the suspect remains dangerous. “There’s concern he may attempt another attack—he has nothing to lose,” the source said. “We’re doing everything we can to locate and apprehend him. It’s also possible he was injured in the attack and is lying somewhere helpless.”
The Taybeh municipality issued a statement clarifying that Khaled is not a native of the city, but merely resides there. “He does not reflect the values of Taybeh or its residents,” the statement read. “There is no connection between his actions and the spirit of our community.”